Modern gear vrs old. George Mallory and everest

Dang, I could climb that! Like a ladder!

It's a different kind of farmer's tan!

STEEPer then it looks. 5.9, called dopey duck at Short Off mountain. Ive climbed it many times but would never consider a solo......especially without fibers to protect my ass!
 
Speaking of rope burn...

:O
 

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Keep your fingers tight, side to side, no place of a loop to get over a finger. I've snagged a finger on my 'off-hand' when throwing a throwline. The throw weight stops really fast, no stretch in the line. Considered getting it Xray-ed, but it healed.
 
Article in NY Times w pic of ongoing cleanup (Yak assisted) ... Literally Tons of crap , place has been treated like an Ash tray for decades though the Sherpas consider the Mountain sacred.
 
The entire thing makes me furious. People pay to have all the legwork, gear hauling, and amenities taken care of because they couldn't make the journey on their own otherwise. A sea of O2 bottles and trash everywhere because it's too difficult to bring back down what they need to carry up in order to survive the climb. They carry all that crap up because they literally couldn't survive the climb without it. Most humans don't belong in that environment. In my opinion, anyone who wants to try should have to do it on their own without the local help. If they die, they die; it would help fend off the people who have no business being there.
 
There's a whole campaign/movement from the Sherpa's side that's kind of interesting too. They advocate that their children go to school so that they don't have to work as climbers when they get older. It's obviously very dangerous for them as well, not just the "tourist" climbers. But at the same time, what did they all do before it became a business to help people climb it? Between the mountain being sacred, the trashsite it's become, and the danger for Sherpa climber-workers, maybe they should put an end to the business and stop helping? Obviously it's not that simple, but I find it an interesting dilemma.
 
It was turning into a complete joke, with all kinds of people trying to be the oldest, youngest, fattest, whatever to ever reach the top.
One guy was going to ( I don't know if he succeded) drag a mountain bike up there so he could be the one to have mountain biked at the highest altitude.
Fortunately the Nepalese have put at stop to most of that.
They don't issue climbing licenses to the fools anymore.
 
Sherpas and the international assortment of climbers and contractors they work for are completely different. Apples and Martians different. Watson's second trip is a story about it. Tried to pay them the fee then climb as equals , didn't work. Story was in a few climb magazines.
 
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